A blog that examines the foibles of life and the inconsequential events that make it interesting and somewhat puzzling.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Who are you following and who's following you?

Don't get me wrong - like many people world over - I like Twitter. Sometimes. On occasion. In reading this be prepared for yet another Twitter- follower-rant.

"Losing a few followers, are we, Eleanor?"

For the record, I rarely drop Twitter followers because it strikes me as un unfair action. In my eyes, making the decision to follow someone is a commitment. It is for this very reason that they remain part of my "following" count unless they start making socially unacceptable tweets or use it as a tool for blatant self-promotion. Following someone is akin to a social network responsibility. However...

Today my "blah-blah is following you" count dropped by one. In the big scheme of things, it's a small number but this leads me to wonder the reason for making this decision and a cause for further speculation. Adding a newbie to my following count is usually related to my interests in some way or sparks my interest enough to be placed in the "following" list. However...

I'm wondering if I committed a social faux-pas or slight. Were my tweets or updates perhaps too boring, maybe... Or...perhaps, and this is always a dilemma, somebody who followed me wasn't followed back by yours truly. That can cause angst. I mean, although interested in good restaurants and their menus for example, being located geographically on another part of planet earth means chances are I won't be sampling a menu since I'm not an international jet-setter. Then again I suppose, one never knows... A bakery in Brooklyn, New York for example, is (or was - haven't checked lately) a follower and checking out their advertised baked goodies made me salivate. Being that I enjoy visting NYC, I just may check them out. I mean, it's only polite. Right?

Still, I'm pondering the decision made by somebody/people to un-follow me and why. Perhaps Twitter could offer followers the option of listing the reason for un-following a Twit...I mean, Twitter follower.
Something to the effect: "Please be advised that blah-blah dropped you today." I mean, one dropped follower deserves another, don't you think?